October 17, 2021
Peerless Mountain (13,348 feet) & Mount Sheridan (13,748 feet)
Route: Created myself on CalTopo
4.5 miles; 1730 feet elevation gain
Total time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Back, back again. Third time this month with an attempt at Mount Sheridan via Peerless Mountain. First time I bailed due to awful weather before even reaching Peerless and a week ago I made it to Peerless summit but bailed because it was so cold. Being the crazy person I am I decided to go back for a third attempt because the weather forecast was perfect.
We were staying at our new rental property in Fairplay again so it's a quick 35 minute drive. I had both dogs with me. We started slightly lower than last week due to snow drifts blocking the road. Peerless was a nice easy repeat, straight up the mining road. After Peerless you drop down quite a bit, the initial descent is on a ridge. The ridge was snow covered but stable. After that you get back onto grassy tundra where you continue to descend before starting to climb Sheridan. Sheridan is a typical Mosquito Range mountain, a talus field climb. It was a steep ascent but nothing too crazy. We made it to the summit of Sheridan and had the whole peak to ourselves, we spent around 30 minutes up there with no one in sight, clear blue skies and stunning 360 degree views. It was absolutely worth coming back for this summit.
On the descent I decided to not re-ascend Peerless. I cut down after the grassy tundra on another mining road which skirts the base of Peerless. This was a nice easy hike that reconnects to the Peerless mining road. It took me almost 3 hours and I didn't see another person the entire time. A very successful solo day in the mountains!
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